Saturday, November 22, 2008

Cake and Goulash

So my day started off at 5:20am when Jon got out of bed to literally throw the 'stupidog' out the door. We have hardwood floors and(apparently he needed to go outside since about, oh, 4:30 or so)for an hour he was running across the floor - 'click..click...click..click..' up the stairs to our room, down the stairs, across the floor, 'click..click..click..'. You get the idea. Once the coffee is started there's no going back to sleep, so... I'm up!

I wanted to make Helen's Hungarian Goulash and have the folks over for dinner as well as test out a new cake recipe and since I was up...

The cake I was going to attempt was from my latest issue of Bon Appetite. It has like 42 layers of chocolate cake, ganache, white chocolate something-or-another and marshmallowy stuff on top. (Disclaimer: I have a passion for COOKING, not baking). I whipped up the devils food cake from scratch and in the over it went. About 15 minutes into baking I smell the smoke. Dang. The cake is over flowing and next thing I know it's like 'smoke-a-palooza' in the house. Seriously. Every fan is going and all the windows are open. Did I tell you I have a passion for COOKING and not baking? I had stuck a cookie sheet under the cake pans and this is what I pulled out of the oven. Yeah...looks like something from the 'stupidog'.

I like to take any opportunity I can to mess with and freak out my 16 year old daughter - because that is the kind of gal I am - so I took some of the cake from the cookie sheet and planted it on the floor of my daughter's room (See Exhibit A). Ignore the mess, she's 'reorganizing' her room. But take a look at the 'pile' near the stool. When she got home, first thing she did was yell to Jon that Boz had pooped in her room so Jon takes a napkin, picks up the pile, and takes a bite. It is most unfortunate that I don't have a picture of her face, but it was priceless. And that is how we mess with our kids.

Needless to say, the cake turned out fine and was kind of like a death by chocolate type of thing. It was supposed to have this marshmallow, peppermint frosting, but since I don't really like either, I made some whipped cream and topped it with that. Yum! (See Exhibit B).

The real highlight of the evening was having my parents over for homemade goulash. 'Helen the Hungarian' was kind enough to share her recipe (here's a shout out to my Hungarian sistah!) and my dad gave me the ultimate compliment when he said 'my Grandma Szabo's tasted just like this.' Well, Helen, here are some extremely happy Hungarians with a big ol' plate of incredibly tasty goulash(and a fabulous wine to go with)!

I am so glad that your dad liked the goulash. Comparing it to his grandmother's makes me feel so proud (and your the one who did the work to make it, and I go feeling proud). Your dad and you look good together. You look like you have a great relationship with your dad. I'm glad. I had a real closeness with my dad, too. May you and he enjoy many years of eating goulash together! Egeshegeray (spelled phonetically yada yada yada...)

A Picture A Day

Who is Annie K You Say?

I am an adventurous and slightly restless soul who can be found blazing trails in the forests that surround my home with my dog, Bozley. I dabble in outdoor photography, love cooking and hope to one day photograph and eat my way around the world. I have an awesome family and friends, and prefer the simple things in life, like homemade tortillas and a great red wine.